The mutual expectations of Camp David

When US President Barack Obama announced the nuclear frame­work agreed by the P5+1 and Iran, he was quick to acknowledge the concerns of America’s Middle East allies. He specifically men­tioned that he had already spoken with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and that he intended to invite the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to a summit. The invitations were duly issued and the allies are to meet at the White House May 13th at the Camp David presidential retreat May 14th. At a time of unusual strain and suspicion in the relationship, much is at stake in the upcoming conver­sation. Here is what both sides want to talk about, hope to get and may come away with. The American side will focus on trying to explain to the Arab delegations what it is doing, pre­cisely, in negotiations with Iran. Washington understands full well that the Arab states could prove very dan­gerous opponents of an agreement if they decide to obstruct implementation of a deal. Moreover, it is important to the United States that an agreement with Iran does not come at the ex­pense of traditional Middle Eastern alliances. The US strategic relation­ship with the Gulf states is, in many cases, very old and deeply rooted. It is based on existing and very serious shared mutual interests and not whims, caprice or experimenta­tion. From the American point of view, there is no zero-sum relationship between a strategic US alliance with Arab states and efforts to negotiate a peaceful resolution of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. On the contrary, Washington’s per­spective is that the Arab states (and Israel) have much to gain from an agreement that, the White House says, provides the only viable means of ensuring that Iran does not become a nuclear power in the foreseeable future. The American side will be stressing that the Arab states, too, will be beneficiaries of the agreement and that it will not be at their expense. The Arab states are sceptical. They are not particularly con­cerned about Iran actually using a nuclear weapon. What they worry about is a hegemonic, and even imperialistic, Iran emerging from an agreement strengthened and more aggressive than ever. The deepest fear is that the United States will, in effect, abandon its opposition to Iran’s threatening regional policies. As long as the Iranians are willing to compromise on the nuclear file, the fear goes, the Americans may no longer care much about Iran’s efforts to expand its influence through proxies that destabilise the region, engage in terrorism and exploit sectarian divisions. First and foremost, the GCC states will want to know that the United States will continue to oppose, in deed as well as word, the aggressive Iranian posture in the Middle East. The Arab states will want to know what the United States is willing to do with regard to Iran’s influence in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, among other flashpoints. From their point of view, a com­plete rejection by the United States of any proactive policy to reverse Iran’s strategic gains in these areas will confirm their worst fears. Washington did, at least rhetorical­ly, support the Saudi-led interven­tion in Yemen and the Gulf states will want clear signs that this will continue. They will also be look­ing for support for the joint Arab military force that the Arab League is attempting to assemble. Both the Arab states and the United States will be asking pointed questions about how best to oppose terrorist groups like the Islamic State (ISIS) or al-Qaeda. Americans will want strong assur­ances regarding a crackdown on private financial support for ter­rorist groups, while the Arabs will look for a clear commitment by the United States that the Syrian dicta­tor Bashar Assad must go, which they believe is a prerequisite for breaking the power of ISIS in Syria. Ideally, the Arab states would have wanted a new strategic ar­rangement with the United States that amounted to a nuclear um­brella. It has been made clear that they are not going to get that and they understand this. So they will be looking for more weapons sales and, especially, a new level of technology transfer to give them a qualitative military edge over Iran and its proxies. They will see this military technol­ogy transfer as not just practically important but symbolically valu­able as a sign of trust. Both sides will arrive at Camp David with a fairly long laundry list of requests and questions. To pro­tect and preserve their vital strate­gic relationships, it is essential that neither leaves empty-handed.

Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a weekly columnist for The National (UAE) and NOW Media and a monthly contributing writer for The International New York Times.